In India, festival means food. Even though people fast on Mahashivratri, there are a variety of dishes that can be eaten during the fast. Though people prefer eating fruits as grains, vegetables and spices like- wheat, rice, lentils, peas, beans, rajma, corn, chana, turmeric, sesame seeds and ground red chillies are not allowed to be cooked on this day. The only spices that can be used are red or green chillies, rock salt, pepper, lime and mango powder. We bring you a couple of recipe for famous food items that are popularly made on this day.
Suggested food for Mahashivratri fast:
- Roti made of kuttu flour or singhada (water chestnut) flour.
- (Buttermilk) Kadhi with singhada flour.
- Potato curry, sweet potato chaat, paneer and aloo chaat, sago vacla, potato & kuttu atta pakodi in cords, raw banana vadaas.
- Almond’s halwa.
- Porridge made out of saamak along with ingredients like bottlegaurd and paneer.
Sabudana / Sago Kheer
Ingredients
- 100 gms sabudaana/sago
- 300 gms sugar
- 1 litre milk
- litre water
- Dry fruits
Procedure
Firstly wash the sabudana and then soak it for 4-5 minutes. Then mix it with milk, add water and boil. Add sugar just before the kheer is well cooked and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish it with some dry fruits and its ready to serve.
Phool makhana Kheer
Ingredients
- Phool Makhana
- Milk
- Sugar
- Dry Fruits
Procedure
Chop the phool makhana first and then roast them and keep aside. Then, boil the milk on a slow flame till it thickens. Add sugar to the boiling milk, simmer for a few minutes and add the roasted phool makhana in it. When the makhana softens, add the finely chopped dry fruits and serve it warm.
Sabudana / Sago Khichidi
Ingredients
- Large sago seeds
- Green chilies
- Salt,
- Mango powder
- Pepper
- Lemon
- Cashew nuts
- Peanuts
- Ghee
- Potatoes
- Paneer
Procedure
Soak sabudana/sago in water for an hour. Chop cashew nuts and peanuts, fry them and keep aside, chop paneer & aloo, fry and keep aside.
Strain the soaked sabudana through a sieve and remove the hard sago seeds.
Heat ghee in a pan and add chopped green chilies, then add the nuts, paneer, potatoes, salt, mango powder and pepper. Lemon juice can also be added-mix it with soaked sabudana. Your Sabudana Khichdi is ready to eat!